Drying apparatus for fruit.



G. D. PARKER.

DRYING APFARATUS FOR FRUIT,

APPUCATION HLED GCT. 23, 1911.

1,266,983. Patented May 21,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESS: ,INJVENTOR.

BY MW 63% A TTORNE YS.

G. B, PARKER.

DRHNG APPARAWS FOR FRUIT.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23. l9l7 1,266,983. Patented May 21,1918.

2 SHEElS-SHEY 2.

WITNESS: m 1 TOR.

W d Q 3' BY I Qmm- 6% A TTORN 5 Y5.

GEORGE D. PARKER, 0F RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

DRYING APPARATUS FOR FRUIT.

1,266,983. Speolficatidn of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1918.

Application filed October 28, 1917. Serial No. 198,005.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Gnome I PARKER, a citizen of the United $ta5tes, residing at Riverside, in the county of Riverside and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drying Apparatus for Fruit, of which the following is a specification.

.The present invention relates to driers of the conveyor type, designed particularly for the drying of washed fruit and of the t pe set forth in my copending application S crial No. 177,223, filed June 2 1917. The invention has for its principal objects to provide a drier of large capacity and wherein the fruit rests on an endless conveyer of a plurality of flights and is con; veyed through the drier housing preferably from one end to the other thereof in a horizontal plane, and is successively transferred from the upper surface of the lower flight of saidconveyer, to the upper surface of the next succeeding flight immediately above the same, thus len hening the period of time of the travel 0 the fruit through the drier without reducing the speed of the conveyer and Without increasing the floor space for the drier over that required in the driers now in universal use.

The invention consists primarily in pro viding in a drier, a plurality of superimposed conveyor flights movin successively in opposite'directions longitu inally of the conveyor housin and em loying in con nection therewit means, or transferring the fruit from the upper surface of one end of the lower flight onto the surface of the corresponding end of a flight immediately above the same, whereby the fruit rests on and is conveyed successively from end to end in the drier housinc alternately in opposite directions and is eevated within said housing, being subjected to a drying element in its travel within the housing.

With the above mentioned and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and setforth in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit "on to the lower run of the or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

To more .fully comprehend the invention, reference is directed to the accompanying drawings, wherein,

*igure 1 is a view in broken side elevation, illustratin the preferred embodiment of my invention, arranged in cooperating relation, with soaking and washing tanks, in which the fruit is treated prior to drying the same.

Fig. 2 is a view in broken top plan of the construction illustrated in Fig. I.

Fig. 3, is a view in detail of the transfer conveyor for delivering the washed fruit from the elevator leading from the washer drying conveyor, and for removing the dried fruit from the upper run of said conveyer.

Fig. 4 is a view in detail of one end of several of the rolls constituting the drier conveyor.

Referring more particularly to the several views of the drawings, wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts, 1, indicates a suitable drier housing comprising the side Walls 2, supported by the legs 3 or, other suitable standards. To the inner face of the side walls 2 of the housing 1, are. secured the longitudinally exlending parallel spaced upper and lower traclcways 4 and 5, Which support res ectively the upper and lower flights 6 and of a suitable endless conveyor, which conveyer is preferably formed of parallel spaced supporting rolls 8, extendin transversely of the drier housing, and eac roll is provided on it opposite end with a bearing 9 rotatable in a suitable bearing link of a connecting chain 10. The extreme opposite ends of the rolls 8 are provided with supporting rollers 11 which run on the track-ways 4 and 5, and cause the rolls 8 to be rotated and rotate the fruit resting thereon during the movement of the respective conveyer flights in opposite directions longitudinally of the housing.

Suitable pulleys 12 and 13 at op osite ends of the hOuSlIlg, and over whici the endless conveyors travel support the same, and one of saidv pulleys is driven in any suitable mannerto'cause the conveyor to travel in the .idirection of the arrow, Fig. 1 of: the The lower run 7 eper ates over the supporting idler pulley 14, at one end of the trackway 5, and at the opposite end of the trackway, operates over a similar idler l5 and under a corresponding idler 16, positioned below said idler 15 which causes a step 17 to be formed at one end oi said lower conveyor flight 7.

.[n the present disclosure the drying medium employed is air supplied by fans 18, positioned in openings 19 in the vertical cover walls 20, the air being directed downwnrdly onto the fruit as' conveyed by the downwardly inclined cover walls 21, the air passing over and around the fruit, and between the conve er rolls and discharging from the drier l iousing through the open bottom thereof. The fans 18 are all mounted on a single shaft 22, driven by power applied to the band wheel 23 at one end thereof. It will thus be apparent that the fruit on the upper run is subjected to the drying air prior to the same having absorbed moisture, while the air passing be tween the rolls 8 of the upper run absorbs the moisture from fruit sup orted thereby and thus contains a certain egree of mois' ture prior to contacting with the fruit on the lower run,

The fruit to be treated, after remaining in the soaking tank A for a eriod sufiicient to loosen the foreign material on'the surface thereof, is delivered into a washer B of any well-known type, designed for washing fruit, and after passing moved therefrom, b a suitable upwardly extending endless e evator C arranged at one side of the housin 1. The discharge end of the elevator'C elivers the washed fruit on to the upper run 24 of a suitable endless belt, movable longitudinally of a support 25, extending transversely between the upper and lower conve er belts 6 and 7, adjacent the receiving on D of the drier housing. The endless belt (11' rates at its ends over the sup orting pu eys or drums 26, one of which 15 illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawings, and which is 0 embed in any suitable manner to drive the it in the direction of the arrow, Fig.e 3. The return run 27 of said endless it; moves longitudinally of a tguide or support-28, disposed transversely o the discharge and E of the upper flight 6 of the dryi conveyor to receivo the dried fruit there rom and convey th same to any suitable apparatus if further treatment of the same is necessary or desired. It will be apparent that the wet fruit from the washer, is delivered on to one and of the upper surface of the lower run 7, which ernutsdrip ings therefrom to as from t c rollersan through the open ottom of the drier housing without wetting or moistcning any of the fruit after the same has been subjected to the drying medium.

therethrough is re- 1,2aa,caa

Extending transversely of the discharge end F of the conveyor run 7 immediately above the idler 6 is another conveyer similar to that illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, consisting of an endless traveling belt, the lower run 29 of which moves longitudinally of a support 30, and receives the fruit from the discharge end of the lower flight 7 after being conveyed once longitudinally of the drier housing. The upper flight 31 of said endless conveyor extends transversely of the receiving end G of the uppermost conveyed flight 6, and moves longitudinally of a guide 32 and delivers the partly dried fruit from the upper surface of the horror run on to the upper surface of the receiving end of the upper flight or run 6, which will convey it longitudinally of the drier housing and dur ing its movement will be subjected directly to the drying air rurrei'its priorto the same becoming iinpre noted .with moisture An elevator 33, of tile endless type and og uu'at ing in the direction ot the arrow Fig. 1 and Q of the i'lrawings, elevates the fruit from the lower run 29 to the upper run 31 of said endless convey er,

By elevatin the fruit successively from one flight of t e conveyor to another traveh ing in opposite directions within the drier housing any drip from the fruit will pass throu the open bottom of the drier housing w ile the fruit is being conveyed on the lower flight and as successivel elevated the fruit will become drier and will be subjected to dryin air containing less moisture, as it is move in closer proximity to the drying medium.

'hile I have illustrated a drier conveyor having two flights or runs, one arranged above the other, it understood the greater the number of runs or flights em loyed, the greater the distance of travel of ruit longitudinally of the drier housing is obtained without increasing the length of said housing so if greater efiiciency is required more flights or runs may be em loyed without departin from the s irit o myinvention.

Havm thus ascribed my invention, what I c aim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A drier comprising a housing, means for feeding fruit to be dried thereto, an endless movable means within said hous'in for supporting and conveying the fruit therein alternately and in opposite direc tions from one end to the opposite end of said housing in successively hi her horizontal planes, and meow: for ryin-g. the fruit as it is conveyed thw rh said housin 2. A drier, comprising a hou ing. an en less conveyor within said housing and divided into a lurality of horizontally disposed longitu inall movable flights extending longitudinal y thereof and arranged one above the other, means for feeding fruit to be dried onto the up )er surface of one end of the lowermost flight, means for trans l'crring the fruit from the upper surface of the opposite end of the lowermost flight onto the upper surface of the correspomhng end of a corresponding flight in'imediiately above the same, means for removing the fruit from tho uppcr surface of the opposite end of said last mentioned flight, and means for drying the fruit as conveyed.

3. Q drier comprising a housing, an endless conveyor divided into a pluralit of horizontally disposed superimposed flights extending longitudinally within said housing, succeeding flights of said conveyor commencing at the lowermost traveling in opposite directions, means for feeding fruit to be dried onto the upper surface of the lowermosl flight, means for transferring the fruit from the upper surface of the lower flight onto the upper surface of a corresponding flight immediately above the same, means for drying the fruit as conveyed, and means for rotating the fruit conve d and dried.

l. A drier comprising a housing, a con ve yer supporting roller at each end thereof, an endless conveyer passing around said rollers and supported thereby, and com" prising a plurality of interconnected parallel spaced rollers capable of independent rotation and on which the fruit to he treated rests, said conveyor supporting rollers dividing' the conveyor into upper and lower flights, means for operating said flights in opposite directions, means for supplying fruit to be dried to one end of the upper surface of said lowermost flight, elevating means for transferring the fruit from the opposite end of said lowermost flight to the upper surface of the adjacent end of the upper flight, means for removing the fruit from the opposite end of said upper flight, means for rotating said conveyor rolls to rotate the fruit as conveyed, and means for passing an all current through said housing for drying the fruit as conveyed.

5. A drier comprising a housin a con veyer supporting roller at each end thereof, an endless conveyor passing around said rollers and supported thereby, and comprising a plurality of inter-connected parallel spaced. rollers capable of independent rota tion on which the fruit to be treated rests, said conveyor supporting rollers dividing the conveyor into upper and lower flights, mcansfor operating said flights in opposite directions, means for' supplying fruit to be dried to one end of the upper surface of said lowermost flight. elevating means for transferring the fruit from the opposite end of said lowermost flight to the upper surface of the adjacent end of the upper flight, means for removing the fruit from the opposite end of said upper flight, means for rotating said conveyor rolls to rotate the fruit as conveyed; and means for passing an air current downwardly through said housing and between the rolls of said conveyor for drying the fruit as conveyed.

u. A drier comprising a housing, an endless conveyl-u therein, providing a pluralify of horizontally disposed longitudinally movable flights extended longitudinally thereof and arranged one above the other within said housing, means for feedin fruit to be dried to one end of the lowermost flight, a conveyor extending transversely of the adjacent ends of the lower and upper flights for transferring the fruit from one end of the lower flight onto the corrcspondin end of the corresponding flight irnrneciately above the same and traveling in an opposite direction, means for receiving the dried fruit from the discharge end of the upperi'nost flight, and means for drying the fruit while in said housing.

F, A drier comprising a housing, an endlcs:- cmiveyer therein having an upper run and a lower run traveling in opposite diri-ctions, said conveyor capable ofsupporting the fruit to be. dried. on the upper surfaces of the. lower and upper runs thereof, and for rotatin the fruit as conve ed thereby, means for ceding fruit to be ried onto the upper surface of one end of the lowermost run, means for receiving the fruit from the opposite end of said run and for transferring the same onto the upper surface of the corresponding end of the run immediately above, means for receiving the fruit from the opposite end of the upper run, and means for causing an air circulation within the housing to dry the fruit as conveyed therethrough.

8. A drier comprising a. housing, an endless lravelin open conveyor therein, and consisting oi" horizontally disposed flights tra\ elin successively in opposite directions, means fir directing air downwardly onto the upper flight, means for feeding fruit to be dried onto one end of the lowermost flight, and means for transferrin the fruit from the opposite end of said flight onto the adjacent end of the flight above.

9. A drier, comprising a housing, having an open bottom, an endless traveling open conveyor therein, and consisting of a plurality of horizontally disposed flights traveling successively in opposlte directions, means for feeding fruit to be dried onto one end of the lowermost flight, means for trans fen-in the fruit from the opposite end of said ight onto the adjacent end of the flight above, and means for drying thefruit as conveyed.

10. A drier comprising a housin an open bottom, an endless traveling open conveyor therein, and consistin of a plurality of horizontally disposed fli hts travhaving eling successively in opposite directions, means for feeding fruit to be dried onto one end. of the lowermost flight, means for transferrin the fruit from the opposite end 5 of said flig 1; onto the adjacent end of the flight above, means for forcing air downwa-rdly throu h said housing and said open conveyor flig ts and disolmrgiug the some thr go the open bottom thereof for drying tho fruit conveyed.

In testimony whm'eoE I have signed my name to this specifimilon in the presence of u subscribing witness.

GEUiflHQ 17L PAR KER.

W itness:

D. B. Iihoummm 

